Demon Slayer Episode 3

Sabito and Makomo

The third episode of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is just one, long training montage which also serves as a two-year time skip. And, because of this, it’s not exactly the most exciting nor engaging episode of anime around.

It also introduces two new characters, Sabito and Makomo, who I have a feeling we’ll never meet again. Non-important characters aren’t an issue, but when your series only has four characters so far, and you introduce two new ones as if they’re important, it’d be nice if they actually were.

But, the real issue I had with this episode is the same issue I have with a lot of time skip episodes. I get that everything before the time skip in this episode is essentially just the prequel to the story, but if that’s the case then I think there are better ways to go about it.

Tanjirou Kamado

For example, don’t make me invested in something that’s just going to be skipped over. I was looking forward to Sakonji training Tanjirou, and probably introducing the other characters as his former students or something. But instead we learn that Sakonji doesn’t actually seem to be important, and he was just there to teach Tanjirou the basics.

It’s kind of like how SAO: Alicization teased Kirito and Eugeo going off on a grand adventure, only to skip the entire adventure and resume when they got to a 100 floor tower to fight through. I’d rather see content either get fleshed out or skipped entirely, not something in between.

The Boulder

After one full year of training under Sakonji, Tanjirou is ready for his final task. All he has to do is slice a boulder in half. Now, if you know anything about shounen battle series then you’ll know that this is a pretty easy feat, however, Tanjirou apparently isn’t aware of this.

I actually liked that Tanjirou didn’t act like slicing a boulder in half was something he should be able to do. When he was told to do it, he genuinely didn’t think it was possible, and that was kind of nice to see from a series like this.

Tanjirou then spends another six months training to slice the boulder, but still can’t do it.

I should also mention that for these entire 18 months, Nezuko has been in a coma, and for the past six months, Sakonji hasn’t been training Tanjirou. He’s essentially been training on his own in the mountains all this time and effectively has nothing to show for it.

It’s at this point that we’re finally introduced to the two new characters of the episode, Sabito and Makomo.

Children of the Forest

Sabito and Makomo are two orphaned children who were raised by Sakonji. Sabito seems to be maybe around 17 years old, and Makomo is perhaps around 11. Sabito wears his fox mask over his face, and Makomo wears her mask off to the side so her face isn’t obscured.

When they first appear, Sabito challenges Tanjirou to a duel and wields a wooden sword while Tanjirou wields a real one. Despite this difference in their weaponry, Sabito easily defeats Tanjirou and tells him that he’s nowhere near strong enough to slice the boulder yet.

Makomo then watches over Tanjirou while he recovers from the fight with Sabito, and this is where things start to get interesting. She’s the one who tells Tanjirou that she and Sabito were raised by Sakonji, and also that they aren’t actual siblings.

But, the most important thing she mentions is that they, and many others, have been watching over Tanjirou’s progress this whole time. It seems there are more children in the forest who have decided to stay hidden.

Sabito

Over the next six months, Tanjirou continues to train and duel with Sabito, but loses every time. Sabito also claims that he once sliced the boulder in half, which proves both his own strength and that the act is possible.

Eventually, the day comes when Tanjirou is finally strong enough to defeat Sabito, who wields a real sword as well this time around. By using the breathing technique he learned from Sakonji, and the practice he gained while dueling Sabito, Tanjirou is able to defeat the other boy by slicing his mask in two.

Shortly after the duel is complete, Makomo and Sabito disappear into the mist, and Tanjirou is left standing alone in front of the boulder which has now been sliced in half. So, what happened, and why did I mention that the new characters in this episode don’t actually seem to matter?

Basically, Makomo and Sabito were never actually there. My best guess is that they both died some time ago, and what Tanjirou had been seeing and interacting with for the past six months were just visions of them. This means the others who have been watching Tanjirou from the forest are also likely deceased.

When Tanjirou thought he defeated Sabito by slicing his mask, he had actually sliced the boulder. This is the main proof I have for these two never actually being there in the first place rather than simply being able to slip away into the mist like Sakonji can (although maybe that means he’s a ghost too).

Final Selection

But, now that Tanjirou has spent two years training to the point at which he can slice a boulder in two, he’s ready for the final, final test which is known as the final selection. The final selection is the test all aspiring demon slayers must complete to be allowed to join the organization, but not everyone is allowed to participate.

It appears that in order to participate one must first be recommended by either a current or former member, and Sakonji said he wouldn’t recommend Tanjirou until he was able to slice said boulder. The beginning, or perhaps entirety, of this final selection will take place in the next episode.

My guess is that this is when the series will begin in earnest. Tanjirou will probably meet the other characters who he’ll be spending the rest of his adventure with, and we’ll be introduced to the real world of demon slayers.

Conclusion

So, what did you think of this week’s episode of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba? Were you fine with the episode being a glorified training montage and time skip? Let me know down in the comments.

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